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Tuesday, July 8

Happiness Halter Playsuit Pattern Review and Giveaway

When my youngest was a toddler I had just started to learn how to sew and over the years I made a few pieces of clothing for her but nothing as cute as the toddler top you see pictured above! It's made from Lisa Lam's new sewing pattern called Happiness Halter Playsuit.* It's a pattern with a lot of variations and possibities. Because I was a bit pressed for time I chose to make the simplest option which is the Halter top but you can also make a dress or a Playsuit from the same pattern.

For my review I used a PDF version of the pattern so there was some printing and sticking together of paper involved before I could start cutting fabric, but the pattern normally is available as a 'hard copy' with full sized pattern sheet which is much simpler to use obviously! I made the top for a 2 year old (as I happen to know a nearly 2 year old girl) using fabric from my stash. The main fabric is Jenn Ski's Mod-Century Petal and I'm not 100% sure about the ties and ruffles but I think it's from the Urban Chicks Boho line of fabric.

A bit of elastic on the back to ensure a good fit

Even with quite a limited experience in making kids clothes, or clothes in general, I found the pattern quite easy to follow. There are always moments when you use a pattern for the first time that you have to read something a few times before you get it. In these instances the illustrations (photos) were very helpful. All in all it did take me a few hours to put this top together.

Things like the ruffles make the sewing a little less straightforward (or quick) but add to a professional looking finish I think. There was a point in the process where according to the pattern I had to put my machine on 0 tension (which I did) to make the ruffle and that didn't quite work as well on my machine. I ended up with a huge nest of thread and found that when I repeated the step but putting my tension on 3, gave a better result.

I do think the pattern is suitable if you are very new at sewing as each step in the process is well described and illustrated. It will take some time to finish but you'll learn some good basics along the way as well like making a ruffle, ties, hemming, inserting elastic in a casing etc. and you will have a great looking piece of clothing for your toddler in the end.

Alongside the Happiness Halter Playsuit Pattern, Lisa released another pattern called the Dance with me Dress which also includes a few cute variations on the basic pattern. The photo on front of the pattern shows that with the right choice of fabric you can create a simple but fabulous looking garment for any occasion! Both patterns are available hereOR if you leave a comment on this post before 12 noon (Amsterdam Time) on Saturday the 12th, you have a chance of winning both patterns. Good luck everyone! Giveaway is closed winner will be announced soon.

Take a peek at the 'blog hop' schedule for more posts about this pattern (including more reviews and giveaways).

*I received the PDF versions of the patterns without obligations to review and as always everything I write is my own opinion.

Oh! I absolutely love the Dance With Me dress! I have several new little girls in my life and I have to finish learning how to sew. Sounds like these patterns have some great beginner information. Thanks for the offer!